This invention pertains to dispensers for carbonated beverages and more particularly to dispensers using a cold plate containing ice chest to chill beverages prior to dispensing.
Soft drink dispensers are found in many restaurants, amusement parks, movie theaters, and elsewhere. Such dispensers are advantageous wherever the public wishes to obtain and consume chilled beverages. One type of beverage dispenser uses an ice chest including a cast aluminum cold plate to chill carbonated water and flavoring syrups before the mixing of these liquids and the dispensing of these liquids and a finished soft drink. Such dispensers consist of a source of carbonated water (soda), a source of flavoring syrup, a cold plate to cool the soda and syrup, and dispensing valves to mix the soda and syrup and dispense the mixed beverage into a cup. The chilling of the syrups and carbonated water to an appropriate uniform low temperature prior to mixing and dispensing is important to dispensing a quality drink. Proper uniform low temperature is necessary for precise proportioning of syrup to carbonated water and also prevents the mixed beverage from foaming and losing carbonation during the dispensing operation. The chilling of these fluids to a uniform low temperature in a beverage dispenser is difficult because of the wide variety of environments in which such dispensers must operate. Dispensers are mass produced and sold to organizations ranging form single location small restaurants to huge amusement parks. Beverage dispensers are used in controlled environments such as the interiors of restaurants and also exposed environments such as on the midway of an amusement park. The ambient temperatures in which these dispensers must operate vary from low spring temperatures of 40.degree. F. (40.degree. C.) at northern amusement parks in May to over 105.degree. F. (40.degree. C.) in exposed southern conditions. Moreover, the temperature of incoming syrup and carbonated water varies over a similar broad range.
Numerous attempts have been made in the past to address this problem. One approach has been to use very long tubes carrying carbonated water and syrup through the cold plate. This results in a very heavy and expensive cold plate. In one such approach, a five sided cold plate having a massive bottom portion and four upstanding side portions integrally formed with the massive body portion is constructed. A soda tube first winds completely around the periphery of the cold plate in the upstanding side portions and then winds in a serpentine path through the bottom portion of the cold plate before exiting the cold plate. Such an approach reduces the top surface area of the bottom section of the cold plate and also is expensive to manufacture. Additionally, if the upstanding side portions of the cold plate are warmed through lack of contact with ice or through a very warm input soda temperature, the bottom portion of the cold plate will be warmed by conduction. This may result in an inferior drink.